RUSTON, La. -
After the women placed a program-best 28th at the NCAA Indoor Championships, Louisiana Tech’s track and field teams will head to Lafayette to open the 2012 outdoor season at the Louisiana Classics.

The Lady Techsters ended the indoor campaign at the NCAA Indoor Championships where Chelsea Hayes scored eight points. That allowed the team to finish 28th overall, tied with Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Wichita State and UCLA.

Now the Techsters – and the Bulldogs – turn their attention to the outdoor season. First up will be a trip to Lafayette for the Louisiana Classics.

In addition to transitioning to the outdoor season, the women’s program begins its quest for an eighth consecutive Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship. The Techsters have won seven straight outdoor titles and 13 of the last 15 WAC titles overall.

While the women’s program loses 11-time WAC Champion Monique Wright (her eligibility was exhausted at the conclusion of the indoor season), three stellar freshmen were redshirted during the indoor season and the Techsters will have until mid-May to mature and develop another championship squad.

Chelsea Hayes enters her final outdoor season with the potential to do a lot. Already a four-time All-American, one more such honor would tie her for the most in school history along with Bryant Wesco’s five All-America honors. She has already provisionally qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the long jump and hopes to automatically qualify during the season.

On the men’s side, sophomore Trey Hadnot made the U.S. National Team has a freshman last year and represented the Red, White and Blue at the Pan Am Junior Championships where he won a bronze medal. The Ruston native hopes to don the national colors once again this summer and is vying to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials as well.

Links to live results for the meet can be found on LATechSports.com.

For complete coverage of Tech Track and Field, please visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com.